Grape variety

Beibinghong

北冰红běibīnghóng

The world's only grape bred for red ice wine, created in China

Type: Grape variety
Colour: red
Family: Native to the north-east
Origin: China: a hybrid of the wild Amur vine (Vitis amurensis) and European Vitis vinifera
In China since: Bred 1995, released 2008
Main regions: Heilongjiang, Liaoning
Literal meaning: Roughly 'northern ice red'

Taste profile

Body
LightFull
Body: 3 out of 5
Tannin
LowHigh
Tannin: 2 out of 5
Acidity
LowHigh
Acidity: 5 out of 5
Fruit
SubtleIntense
Fruit: 4 out of 5

Aromas

red berries
cherry
honey
dried fruit
Red berries and cherry with the honeyed concentration of ice wine.

Sweetness · often sweet (red ice wine)

Red cherry, raspberry and wild berries, very fresh acidity, deep colour.

Beibinghong is a grape created in China to survive the extreme winters of the northeast. Bred by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, it combines the cold resistance of the wild Amur vine, native to East Asia, with the quality of European grapes. It is the world's first and only grape variety bred specifically for red ice wine.

The wild ancestor

In the forests of China's north-east grows the Amur grape, Vitis amurensis, a wild vine that survives winters far colder than any European vine could. Its berries are small, deeply coloured and very acidic, but low in sugar.

A Chinese creation

Chinese scientists have long crossed the Amur grape with the European wine grape, aiming to combine cold resistance with wine quality and to reduce the need to bury vines in winter. Beibinghong is one of the results: a red grape made for the extreme cold of the north-east.

Red ice wine

Its most famous use is red ice wine, a rarity in the wine world, with deep colour and bright acidity.

History in China

In northeast China, winters are so cold and the frost-free season so short that European grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling and Chardonnay cannot ripen or survive. The native Amur vine, by contrast, can withstand –40 °C or lower, but its berries are very acidic and low in sugar.

Scientists at the Institute of Special Animal and Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, in Jilin, worked for generations of crosses between the two species. Beibinghong was created in 1995 by the breeder Song Rungang and, after years of testing, released in 2008. Unlike earlier Amur-based grapes, used only for sweet red wines, it can make both dry red and red ice wine.

Growing

Beibinghong is highly resistant to cold, tolerating frost down to about –30 °C, and has good resistance to some mildew diseases, while giving high yields of good-quality grapes. It is grown mainly in northeast China, especially around Ji'an in Jilin, where the Changbai Mountains shield the vineyards from the north wind and the Yalu River brings milder air.

Where it grows in China

Heilongjiang

黑龙江

Harbin, the birthplace of beer in China

Liaoning

辽宁

Northeast China, the country's ice wine capital

Pairs with

Festival food

Mooncake

月饼

Food pairings

A red Beibinghong ice wine with a red bean mooncake at the Mid-Autumn Festival is a pairing you will not find anywhere else in the world. It also suits berry desserts and chocolate.